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by strawberrylovely



Category: Shance - Fandom, Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Anastasia AU, Fluff, Friends to Lovers, Happy Ending, Inspired by Anastasia (1997), Lost prince, M/M, Shance Disney Zine, Slow Burn, found home, shance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-19
Updated: 2019-04-19
Packaged: 2020-01-16 16:14:02
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 10,604
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18525064
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/strawberrylovely/pseuds/strawberrylovely
Summary: All his life, Lance wasn’t sure of who he was or where he came from. All he knew was that something, or someone, was waiting for him in Paris. When he meets Shiro and Hunk, they plan to turn him into the perfect prince, wanting to help him find his family, and his dream of getting to Paris is finally about to come true. But when he gets there he realizes that maybe everything isn’t as it should be. And that maybe the something he was looking for in Paris, he’d already found along the way.





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**Author's Note:**

> I wrote this fic for the Shance Disney Zine based on different animated Disney movies! Yes, Anastasia wasn’t originally Disney, but she is now and it’s my favorite movie ever and the mods liked me enough to allow me convince them to let me do it ;)  
> Also, I wrote WAY too much for the zine, so only about half of this is in the actual zine, so if you have the zine here’s the rest of my story! 💙 I hope you enjoy, and thanks for reading!

 

_ Léon (French) - Lion; Léon is a man who, underneath a spirited facade, more or less cheerfully conceals something deeper within himself. _

 

_ Music and laughter carried throughout the palace, echoing from the grand hall. A ball for the Queen’s birthday, except the Queen herself had left before dark to get back to her home before sunrise. Prince Léon had been bedridden for most of the evening, having gotten sick early on during the festivities. The young servant boy had snuck into his room from the kitchen to keep him company, when suddenly the two heard shouting and fighting coming from down the hall. They didn’t know what was happening, but they knew they needed to get as far away as possible. The kitchen boy took the Prince by the hand and led him out of his room, through crowds of people running in all sorts of directions. Léon looked back as they passed the grand hall to see soldiers marching in from the front entrance, some grabbing people, some aiming their guns. He looked for his family, for Luis, or his mother, but he couldn’t make out a single face in all of the havoc... _

 

_ “Come on!” the other boy said, pulling him faster, tearing his frightened gaze from the commotion as the two ducked into the abandoned kitchen. “In here!” _

 

_ The older boy moved a shelf that covered a small door in the wall – an old servant’s quarters that led through the walls of the palace – and shoved Léon inside. _

 

_ “Don’t stop until you reach the outside.” _

 

_ “Aren’t you coming with me?” the Prince asked. _

 

_ “I’m going to find the rest of your family and help them escape, too. But you have to go now! Once you’re outside, head straight for the train station and wait for the others,” he instructed. _

 

_ In any other circumstance, Léon would have rolled his eyes and advised the boy not to boss him around. But he did what he was told, gripping tight the new necklace his grandmother had gifted him merely hours before, and ran as fast as he could to the station once he made it out of the castle. _

 

_ Little did he know that his family would never show up, that the servant boy was knocked out by a soldier before he could find them, and that the station would be filled with countless others trying to escape the city, not caring about the young prince that they would knock over and trample onto the cold station ground, mistaking him for a poor orphan boy without a family to call his own. _

  
  
  


-

  
  
  


“Listen, if Hunk can learn how to do it, then so can you!”

 

“Not if you keep yelling at me I can’t!”

 

They had been at it all day, Shiro teaching Lance everything he needed to know about his past. Things that, for the most part, he didn’t remember. Things like the names of all the dukes and duchesses that would attend the royal parties. How every summer when the weather was good, he and his grandmother would go down to the ocean and run through the misting breeze. And, of course, his real name.

 

When Lance was about 8 years old, he woke up in the middle of a train station, lost and alone, without any knowledge of who he was or where he came from. He spent the rest of his childhood growing up in an orphanage, and though he loved the family he’d found with the other children there, the day he turned 18 he was ready to leave and find his own place in the world. To find his real family. And the only clue he had to finding them was the words printed on his necklace,  _ Together in Paris _ , which meant he would embark on a journey to Paris to find out about his past and, more importantly, to find out where he truly belonged.

 

But to do that, he needed the help of Takashi Shirogane and Hunk Garrett, both of whom had fully convinced Lance that he was, in fact, the long lost Prince Léon, who had been missing for nearly a decade after being rumored as the only surviving royal next to the Queen after the siege of the royal palace. He wasn’t exactly sure who these men were or how they were so certain he was the Prince, but they had three tickets to Paris, one of which was offered to him, and he gladly took it without another word.

 

Except now, he sort of wished he’d said  _ something _ , like ‘How long until we get there?’ or ‘If you really think I’m royalty, then maybe don’t boss me around so much!’ Because Lance may have thought Takashi – or, Shiro, as Lance was told to call him – was cute at first, and  _ maybe _ he’d admit that the man’s charm had a hand in convincing him to come along on this ride, but that did not give him the right to give orders like a dictator.

 

“Well, if you did it right the first time, I wouldn’t have to yell!” Shiro said, raising his voice in frustration when Lance let the books fall from his head for the hundredth time.

 

The man with the streak of white hair sighed, pushing a few irritating strands back into place as he walked away from the scene to calm down. Lance huffed after him, stomping in the other direction with the determination of an indignant child.

 

“Lovers quarrel?” Hunk appeared a moment later with a mischievous look.

 

“Love- Pfft, what? That’s- With him? Absolutely not. No,” Lance said, casting what definitely was  _ not _ a longing look back at Shiro as he bent down to pick up the books he’d been trying to keep balanced. “ _ Never _ .”

 

“Mhm. Don’t let him get to you. He just wants you to make a good impression on the Queen. Thinks you should be perfect or it’ll reflect badly on him,” Hunk said, coming up to take the books from Lance. He placed them under his arm and walked the brunet over to the bridge that occupied the space above a small stream in the middle of the empty park.

 

The two stood next to each other, quiet for a moment as Lance cooled off from his spat with Shiro. Oh, how that man got under his skin (in a few different ways, and it currently wasn’t in a good one).

 

As Lance leaned over the railing, he looked at himself in the reflection from the brook, face hardly recognizable from the water’s calming ripple. He knew more than anyone that he needed to make a good impression, he just couldn’t imagine anyone seeing him as a prince, whether he could perfectly balance books on his head as he walked or not.

 

“Shouldn’t they be able to tell if I’m the real Prince? Why do I have to do all this just to prove who I am? Or, who I think I am…”

 

Hunk hummed to himself lowly, and Lance looked over at him, wondering what exactly the full depth of his knowledge over the world was.

 

“You know, before the fall of the royal family, I was a diplomat for the royal court. I knew intimate details about each family member, and about how business was conducted between other countries,” the big man said. “Now, if I was a stranger on the street, would you believe me if I said that?”

 

“No, I guess I wouldn’t,” Lance said honestly.

 

“Precisely. I would have to prove myself to you that I used to work in the palace. So, imagine. The Prince has been missing since he was a boy.  _ You _ are a man. No one knows what the Prince would look like now, other than similar features like you have. So that means the Prince would have to prove that he is who he says he is, because to the Queen, even the real Prince Léon might look like a complete stranger. And just think of how many strangers she’s already had to go through. What’s one more?”

 

“I guess you’re right…”

 

“I  _ am  _ right. Unless, you stand out. Which is exactly what we’re trying to make you do.”

 

“Make me stand out?” Lance asked.

 

“So that the Queen will recognize you, even in the midst of a crowd,” Hunk smiled.

 

“Right.” Lance pouted.

 

As much as he wanted to believe that he was really the Prince, he had a hard time believing anyone, especially the Queen, would see him as anything other than some scrappy kid from an orphanage. No matter how much Shiro tried to whip him into shape. And, Lance thought, if he had an actual whip, he’d use it.

 

“I know I need to learn all of this, but it’s so hard trying to shove half a lifetime into a couple of weeks. And I’m trying my best! I really am! I just wish he would lighten up a little.”

 

Hunk laughed quietly to himself, nodding his head as though he knew exactly what Lance meant.

 

“Maybe you should tell him that.”

 

He nodded past Lance towards Shiro, who was making his way up the curve of the bridge with a look of determination on his face.

 

“Tell him what...?” Lance turned back to Hunk, but the diplomat had already disappeared off the other side of the bridge. “Of course,” he muttered under his breath, before straightening himself in preparation of telling Shiro just what he thought of his teaching methods.

 

“Lance,” Shiro said, stopping a foot away from the younger man.

 

“Shiro,” Lance responded haughtily. “I just wanted to say-”

 

“Look, I think we got off on the wrong foot.”

 

They’d spoken at the same time, both surprised at the other’s words.

 

“Oh, sorry. You go first,” Shiro said.

 

“No, no. I insist,” Lance offered. He could wait another moment to go off on the man.

 

“Alright. As I was saying, I think we got off on the wrong foot, and I think that was partly my doing.”

 

“ _ Partly _ ?”

 

“ _ Mostly _ ,” Shiro corrected. “I got aggravated too easily, and I’d like to apologize for that. You- You’re doing great — honestly. And I shouldn’t have yelled at you, so, I’m sorry.”

 

“Well, I’m glad you’ve recognized your mistakes,” Lance said, folding his arms. But the look on Shiro’s face told him the man was really trying, and Lance knew he was only making matters more difficult by holding a grudge, so he dropped it with the release of a sigh. “I’m sorry, too. I can be really stubborn at times-”

 

“You don’t say,” Shiro quipped, but he smiled, a genuine smile that made Lance’s cheeks betray him, and he let the man get away with it as he tried to hide his blush.

 

“ _ Anyway _ , I let my frustration with the tasks get in the way of letting you help me and took it out on you. I promise, I’ll try harder not to let that happen, as long as you maybe give me a break once in a while?”

 

“I can do that,” Shiro nodded. “Truce?” He held out his hand, and Lance took it with only slight hesitation, shaking once in agreement.

 

“Truce.”

 

“Glad we got that settled, then,” the man smiled, before doubling back. “Oh. What was it you wanted to say?”

 

“I wanted to say that…” Lance thought about how he was going to yell at Shiro before, tell him everything he hated about the way he taught, but now that they seemed to understand each other, he didn’t really see the point in continuing that thought. “I’m ready to try again, if you are.”

 

“Actually, I was thinking we could move on for now. Give you a little break from carrying those heavy books on your head?”

 

“Sounds great,” Lance beamed. “What did you have in mind?”

 

“Well…” Shiro motioned for Lance to follow him to their luggage, where he pulled out a new pair of boots and handed them over to the would-be prince. “Here, put these on.”

 

Lance looked down to his own pair, ragged and old from being passed down with years of wear, and took the new ones from Shiro, admiring the firm soles and heels of brand new shoes.

 

“You got these for me?”

 

“Yeah, of course. If you’re going to prove you’re royalty, you probably shouldn’t be wearing shoes from the last century. Now try them on!”

  
  


As soon as Lance had the new boots on, he stood up straight, excitedly beaming at how warm and snug the shoes felt on his feet. He glanced up at Shiro, as if to ask what he thought, but the man was instead staring at his face, with an unreadable expression.

 

“Wow.”

 

“What?” Lance asked, unsure whether or not to be offended. “If they look bad, you’re the one that got them for me, so-”

 

“No, no! You look, uh, they look good.”

 

Lance ignored Shiro’s forced sound and gazed down at his new boots, smiling to himself. He’d never felt so nice in his life.

 

“So, what are we doing now?” he asked when he noticed Shiro still staring at him.

 

“What?” Shiro blinked. “Oh! Right, yes. Um, well...”

 

“We are going to break in your new shoes by teaching you how to dance,” Hunk chimed in.

 

“But I already know how to dance,” Lance said, remembering the few times he’d danced with the children at the orphanage, and how they’d laugh when he’d swing them around.

 

“Well, do you know how to waltz?” Hunk asked, cutting the memory short.

 

“...No.”

 

“Exactly. Shiro?”

 

Before the man could answer, Hunk dragged him over by the arm to face Lance, letting go when they were mere inches from one another. The two shared a look as Hunk began counting,  _ 1, 2, 3. 1, 2, 3... _

 

In a moment, Lance was being spun around, a hand appearing on his waist and holding tight as Shiro led him in time, silently telling him how to step and which way to turn. Hunk began to hum a tune, something vaguely familiar but still foreign to Lance’s ear as he concentrated on the dance.

 

Somehow, dancing seemed so much easier than any of the other things Shiro had tried to teach him. Maybe it was just the nature of the task. Or maybe it was because of the talk they’d had. But the more Shiro pulled him along, smiling as Lance easily fell into rhythm with him, the less he cared about the  _ why _ and the more he cared about the who, and what, and how it made him feel.

 

“Wonderful!” Lance heard Hunk exclaim as he got the hang of it almost effortlessly. But his voice was far off, closer to the ground than either of the two dancing, twirling high above the ground and the Earth and Hunk’s terrible humming.

 

Lance let himself laugh at the way dancing with Shiro made him feel. Any and all harsh feelings had melted away, completely eradicated by the way Shiro was smiling at him, the way his arms held him like he was the most delicate thing in the world. It was intoxicating, Shiro’s hands on him, and if Lance thought about it too much, it made him dizzy. Shiro must have felt it too, because he seemed to slow down. Or was it the world around them that had slowed down? Lance couldn’t tell.

 

“Are you okay?” Shiro asked.

 

“Hmm? Oh, yes. Just a bit lightheaded,” Lance giggled.

 

“Me too,” Shiro admitted. “It’s probably from all the spinning. Maybe we should stop.”

 

“We have stopped,” Lance noted, but the spinning inside his head certainly hadn’t.

 

“Oh. I guess we have.”

 

The way Shiro looked at him, like they were the only two inhabiting the place where the earth met the sky, only made Lance feel more unsteady, and he held tight to Shiro’s shoulders, hoping to anchor both his mind and his body to Shiro’s embrace.

 

“Lance?”

 

“Yes?”

 

Lance sensed a pull towards Shiro, like the older man’s entire being was suddenly closer, crowding into him, and if Lance didn’t know any better, he would have thought the tug he felt was physical. Even still, it was as if Shiro had reached inside him, wrapping a hand around his heart and just holding it there, capable of both breaking it apart and keeping it from shattering, fully dependent on which direction Lance chose to move.

 

He chose forward. And it seemed like Shiro did too.

 

“I...”

 

Shiro’s breath danced across Lance’s lips, and the brunet let his eyes shut as he leaned closer...

 

“You’re doing fine.”

 

Lance’s eyes opened at the feeling of Shiro patting his hand gently as he moved away, leaving a cold and empty space in front of where Lance was standing, bewildered at what had nearly happened. His eyes drifted to Hunk, a question posed in his expression that Hunk answered with a mere shrug.

 

“Hunk!” Shiro called over his shoulder. He’d picked up a map, surveying over the countryside for their next stop. Never a moment to waste. “Which way is Allura’s?”

 

“Ohhh, Allura!” the bigger man sighed, catching up to Shiro with a giddy hop in his step.

 

“Who’s Allura?” Lance asked.

 

“Who-  _ Who is Allura? _ ”

 

“Oh, here we go,” Shiro said with a roll of his eyes.

 

“She’s only the most beautiful, gorgeous, glorious, wonderful, amorous, scrumptious,  _ delicious _ being to have ever graced the Earth. She’s a warm cup of coffee after running home in the rain, a savory brownie fresh from the oven...”

 

“Is this a person or a dessert?” Lance teased.

 

“Allura is a woman of grace and beauty. She is the Queen’s right hand, and your ticket to a personal meeting. My heart belongs to her and, when I play my cards right, she’s like putty in my hands,” Hunk mused.

 

“Don’t you mean ‘dough?’” Shiro said, bringing a snort from Lance.

 

“Even better,” the man sighed. He tossed Shiro his luggage and picked up his own with haste. “Now let’s go! It’s another day by bus, and the sooner I can see my sweet, the better.”

 

Lance hefted up his own suitcase, following Shiro and Hunk down the dirt road as they deciphered the map. A map, Lance hoped, that would lead him closer to finding something to call home.

  
  


-

  
  
  


_ Ding dong! _

 

Shiro rang the doorbell to the little country house, settled into an open glade at the edge of a small forest. Lance thought of it as something from a fairytale brought to life, and as soon as the door opened, he understood why.

 

“Hunk, my darling!”

 

“Lovely Allura!”

 

The former diplomat pushed past Shiro and into Allura’s arms, making the woman giggle wildly as her hands held him tight. He pressed a kiss to each of her cheeks, flushed red with excitement and joy at seeing him.

 

Beautiful, silvery-white hair pulled back by a few pins framed Allura’s face and neck, no strand out of sorts, even from Hunk’s fussing. Her smile was welcoming, voice proper and soothing within the same breath, and her eyes were kind, but they held a fire within them that Lance knew he should revere with caution and as much poise as he could muster.

 

“Ahem,” Shiro cleared his throat loudly, breaking up the pair blocking the doorway.

 

“Oh! Please, do come in,” the woman said, playfully shoving Hunk away as the men followed her inside.

 

Allura had everyone sit around a lightly decorated living room, calling for tea and having it passed to each of them before she turned to Lance and got down to business.

 

“Now, Hunk tells me you believe you are the long lost Prince Léon,” she said, tone closer to a question.

 

“I’m hoping the Queen will help me discover my true self,” Lance vaguely replied, just as Shiro had told him to do.

 

“I see. Well, the Queen is very busy nowadays, so I hope you won’t mind me asking you some questions to make sure an audience would be worth her time.”

 

“Ask away,” he smiled knowingly.

 

Just as expected, Allura rattled off an array of questions, all that Hunk and Shiro had drilled the answers to into Lance’s head beforehand. He answered each question with ease, from names of baronesses, to food served at parties, to who the Prince’s best friend was.

 

“My older brother, Luis.”

 

“A-Are you sure about that one?” Shiro asked, nervously jumping in when Lance answered a question they hadn’t gone over.

 

“I know who my best friend is, Shiro,” the brunet said, slightly miffed at being contradicted.

 

“Perfect,” Allura praised, “Luis is correct.”

 

Lance saw a face similar to his own flash in his mind before disappearing once again. He tried to recall it, to hold onto a memory that he wasn’t even sure was his own, but Allura started speaking again and the image faded back into nothing.

 

“There is one last question, and this one may be tough, but please feel free to give as much detail as you can.”

 

“Alright,” Lance said, suddenly feeling a little anxious.

 

“How did you escape the palace when it fell under siege?”

 

There was a barely audible groan from both Shiro and Hunk, neither expecting  _ that  _ sort of question, nor having given anything to answer with, but Lance didn’t hear their sounds of distress. He was too busy with the memory appearing in his mind of that night, the chaos and fear pushed deep into the subconscious and only just coming to light.

 

“I was sick...during a party,” Lance started slowly, letting the scene manifest completely before continuing. “A boy had just brought me soup from the kitchen so that I’d feel better. Made sure I ate it all and kept me company while the party went on outside my door...”

 

He told a story of a night many years ago, as memories flooded into his head, of a servant boy that had taken him through a wall and of him waking up at the train station alone. The room had gone quiet as he spoke, and when he finished, he looked up at Allura, whose eyes seemed mistier than before.

 

“I know that probably sound ridiculous, walls opening and all that,” Lance said. “That’s just what I remember.”

 

The room stayed silent for a moment as the other three took in Lance’s brief retelling.

 

“I-Is that correct?” Hunk finally asked, looking from Lance to Allura.

 

“I don’t know,” the woman answered honestly. “I just wanted to see how he would respond.”

 

Lance took note of how quiet Shiro seemed. He’d stood from his seat and had been staring out the window since the story of the escape had started. His hands were shoved into his pockets and his face was turned the complete opposite direction, so Lance had no idea what had been going through his mind as he spoke. He just hoped Shiro wasn’t upset at him for everything he’d said.

 

“So...did I pass?” the brunet asked, focusing back to the moment.

 

“With flying colors!” she clapped, and Lance felt joy flood through him – he was another step closer, and he had his two companions to thank.

 

“You did it, Lance!” Hunk said, jumping up to his feet to squeeze the boy into a hug. “So when do we meet with the queen?”

 

“Unfortunately... You don’t.”

 

“Come again?”

 

“The Queen isn’t open to meeting anyone else. She won’t allow me to bring anyone else to her, no matter how convincing he may be,” Allura said with a sad gaze toward Lance.

 

She got up to take their tea cups back to the kitchen, but Hunk intercepted, wrapping an arm around her waist from behind and pulling her into a close dance.

 

“Surely there must be  _ something  _ you can think of to get us close to the Queen?” he drawled.

 

“I really can’t...” Allura smiled, easily giving in to Hunk’s persuasion. “But the palace is hosting a ball in two days. And the Queen will certainly be there...”

 

“You mean... Oh, thank you, Allura, thank you!” Hunk said, spinning her around to give each of her cheeks a kiss.

 

“I don’t know what you mean, I didn’t do anything,” the woman teased.

 

She turned and winked at Lance before fluttering away, Hunk excitedly trailing behind her into the kitchen.

 

Lance felt a breath of relief leave him. In two days’ time he would be face to face with the Queen, all thanks to Hunk and Shiro’s training. He felt prepared, but there was still a nagging fear deep within him. What if the Queen wouldn’t see him? What if she didn’t accept Lance as her family and he’d have wasted time finding his  _ real _ family? Or what if she really  _ was  _ his family, but she was mean and  _ he _ didn’t like  _ her _ ?

 

Lance shook his head, blinking a few times to clear his head. He couldn’t think that way, not when they were this close. His eyes drifted over to the spot where Shiro had been standing, but he’d disappeared. Lance hadn’t noticed when he stepped out, but looking through the window, he could see the man on the front lawn, staring into the distance deep in thought.

  
  


-

  
  


As soon as Lance had mentioned the boy from the kitchen, Shiro felt his world flip on its side. He’d never told Lance about that night, about all the people and the chaos and how he had been there, in the middle of it. That  _ he  _ was the kitchen boy that brought the soup, the one that saved the prince — that saved  _ Lance _ — by taking him though the servant’s quarters.

 

It was all so obvious. Lance looked, acted, and spoke the part, but only now did Shiro realize it wasn’t a part at all. Lance was Prince Léon. And Shiro was the only one who knew. 

 

“Shiro?”

 

Lance’s soft voice pulled him from his thoughts. He turned to meet the boy’s eyes, but his reply caught in his throat at the way the setting sun reflected on his brown skin, making him glow like golden honey.

 

Shiro felt his lips begin to turn up into a smile.

 

“Are you okay?” Lance said, breaking Shiro’s sudden spell.

 

“What? Yes, sorry.” Whoops, he’d been staring. “I just...needed some air,” he covered, looking away for fear that he’d start to fall into the depths of Lance’s gaze.

 

“Oh, alright. Well, I just wanted to tell you that...I passed.”

 

Shiro’s eyes grew wide and he finally let himself smile. He’d left before hearing the verdict, but he wasn’t surprised in the slightest. He knew Lance could do it.

 

“You passed!” he said, coming up to brace the boy’s shoulders. “I knew you would.”

 

“Y-You did?”

 

“Of course. You were brilliant in there.”

 

A faint red appeared on those golden cheeks, and Shiro realized that his hands were gripping Lance tight, stuck between wanting to hug him and...

 

He let go awkwardly, taking a few steps back to give them both a chance to breathe.

 

Or, was it just him that was left breathless?

 

“Uhm,” Lance said after a moment. “There’s a ball at the palace in two days. Allura said that we could meet the Queen there.”

 

“Two days?”

 

Shiro could feel a sort of panic bubbling in the pit of his stomach. He only had two more days with Lance. Though the journey had been short, he’d grown fond in a way he didn’t want to admit. And now that he knew Lance was the true prince, there was no doubt that the Queen would whisk him away, meaning Shiro would never see him again.

 

“That’s so soon!” he followed up, trying to cover his panic by sounding surprised. “We’ll need to find you a suit.”

 

“And I know just the place to do it!”

 

Allura appeared in the doorway, looking smug with her hand propped against the frame. A smiling Hunk was behind her, visible lipstick stains scattered around his face.

 

“We’re going shopping. In Paris!”

 

“Shopping in Paris?” Lance repeated, his voice loud as he turned to Shiro. “Can you believe it?!”

 

Shiro just smiled back, the way the boy’s face lit up with excitement making his own heart ache for the shopping trip that would bring even more of those bright expressions he loved, even if they weren’t aimed at him.

 

“We’ll leave on the train first thing in the morning,” Allura said. “But it’s getting late now, so come back in and I’ll find a place for each of you to sleep.”

 

She and Hunk retreated back inside, leaving the door open for the remaining two to follow.

 

Shiro started forward after them when he heard a quiet sniffling behind him.

 

“Lance?”

 

The younger man was crying softly, wiping at his eyes with long fingers that pulled at his reddened face.

 

“I’m sorry,” he said. “I don’t know what happened. There’s just so much that I’m feeling right now.”

 

Shiro knew that as soon as he got too close, it would be over for him. As soon as he admitted his feelings to himself, or let his hand linger too long on Lance’s shoulder, he’d never want to finish this journey, but instead drag it on as long as possible so that he could have more time with Lance.

 

Despite that knowledge, Shiro didn’t wait another second to pull the crying prince to him, wrapping him tightly in his arms to calm the unsteady tears.

 

“It’s okay, Lance,” he whispered into the brunet’s hair. “I can’t imagine how overwhelmed you must feel. But don’t worry. Hunk and I will be right there with you until the very end.”

 

“You will?” Lance sniffled into his chest.

 

“Yes, w- _ I will _ .”

 

As soon as those words left Shiro’s lips, Lance’s face leaned up to look at him through watery eyes. He sniffled, but the corners of his mouth perked up a little, and that same feeling Shiro felt when they had danced came back to him.

 

He’d completely fallen, lost deep in those eyes and that bright smile, the warm skin and curly hair, the faint freckles that littered his cheeks and nose and trailed down his arms. Lance’s laughter, his voice, his excitement for life behind a tragic heart, one that Shiro could relate to, feeling his own heart opening up to enfold around. He was completely enraptured by everything Lance said and did, including the fact that he’d just left snot on Shiro’s favorite shirt.

 

An overwhelming urge to lean down and press his lips to Lance’s filled his head, which meant it was time for Shiro to move away, to push those feelings back down as his arms fell to his sides, forcing them to release their hold on Lance, despite everything in him screaming to never let go.

 

“Come on,” he said, ushering Lance towards the house. “Let’s go inside.”

  
  


-

  
  


The day of the ball, Allura brought the entourage out on the town, letting them experience everything about Paris, and getting Lance used to what would be his new home. People in strange outfits, girls selling flowers from baskets, and men with easels painting on the sidewalks, all littered the city as the group passed through, laughing and flirting with each of them as if they were old lovers newly reconnected. One flower girl even gave Lance a free rosebud, calling it his ‘good luck charm’ with an enchanting wink. The act made him smile, feeling as though it was a sign that the evening would go well. But instead of keeping it for himself, he turned to Shiro, placing the small thing in his lapel.

 

“For luck,” he said, and the skip in his heart when Shiro smiled back nearly made him trip on the cobbled street.

 

After their shopping spree where Allura claimed she had apparently found the perfect suit for Lance to impress the Queen, she brought them into a club where a few can-can dancers were entertaining at the front of the hall.

 

The exoticism of the colorful city was all so new and overwhelming to Lance. Coming from a small Spanish orphanage to the glamorous nightlife of Paris in just a few short weeks felt almost unreal. His destiny was just a fingertip away, this wonderful city the key to unlocking everything about who he really was. It was so close, and yet, something was missing.

 

Part of him hoped that it was just nerves about meeting the Queen, knowing that his fate would be decided by her very word. But as he watched Hunk tease Allura from across the table, the way her eyes lit up with a laugh every time he made a joke or told some story from the journey, their hands resting on top of the other’s so easily, Lance’s heart yearned for something similar. He tore his wistful gaze from the pair and onto Shiro, who was turned towards the dancers with distracted interest. He seemed too focused on the champagne in his hand, thumb swiping over the foggy glass absently as the tiny bubbles popped behind it.

 

As Lance moved closer, he saw over Shiro’s shoulder that rather than inspecting the bubbles in his glass, he’d taken the little rose out of his lapel, and was watching as it twirled between two of his fingers. The gesture was so delicate, so precise in action, Lance wondered what was on Shiro’s mind.

 

“Shiro?” he whispered above the noise of the hall.

 

Lance’s questioning tone in his ear made Shiro turn in his chair slightly, setting down his glass and hiding the rose from view as he tilted his head in the boy’s direction.

 

“Yes, Lance?”

 

“What are you thinking about?”

 

“You,” Shiro answered simply.

 

Lance felt his own breath catch in his throat, caught off guard by such a blatant statement.

 

“Er, I mean-” the man corrected himself without a moment’s hesitation. “I- I was thinking about how close we are to getting you home.”

 

“Oh. I see,” Lance smiled sadly. Part of him had hoped maybe Shiro really was thinking about him. But he knew better than to wish for something more. He was already this close to finding his family, that alone should be more than enough happiness for him.

 

Shouldn’t it?

 

“Why don’t you dance?” Shiro asked earnestly, pulling Lance from his thoughts.

 

Allura had already dragged Hunk to the dance floor, and several other people were making their way to the front of the hall to give in to the music filling the small club.

 

“I think I’ve had enough excitement today,” Lance admitted. “Should probably save some for tonight, don’t you think? Besides, I... I’d like to stay here. With you.”

 

Shiro blinked in surprise, looking back at Lance curiously before a smile broke across his features.

 

“Alright.”

 

Lance scooted his chair forward to be closer with Shiro. He could smell the man’s cologne radiating off of him mixed with the wild aroma of the club, making for a very particular scent that he locked away in his mind, hoping, beyond his knowledge otherwise, that he could experience this all again someday.

 

They watched the crowd out on the floor dancing, laughing at their friends as Hunk stumbled along, letting Allura lead him in a very boisterous display. Lance was unaware of his hand fluttering to Shiro’s arm until it was already too late. Their eyes met, and he felt his heart jump, worried that Shiro would react negatively to the touch, but the man just continued laughing, not caring for the world how intimate Lance decided to be with him on their last day together.

 

And then it hit him. It was their last day together. Instead of dreading their inevitable parting, Lance realized he should let go of his own reservations and allow himself to enjoy the moment.

 

With new determination, he tightened his grip on Shiro’s arm and moved to lean into his being, cherishing the small intimacies that he knew he would have to give up in only a few hours’ time.

  
  


-

  
  


“I’m so nervous. I think I might throw up.”

 

“Don’t worry, Hunk. Everything will be fine,” Shiro said.

 

They were standing at the bottom the steps in the ballroom, waiting off to the side for Lance and Allura to arrive in their own car. Allura had told the other two to go on ahead from the club, saying she had a special surprise and that she and Lance would be a little late.

 

“How can you be so sure?” Hunk asked. “I mean, what if the Queen has us arrested for fraud? What if Lance gets arrested? Or Allura, even? Shiro, we can’t let poor, sweet Allura get arrested.”

 

“Hunk, no one is going to get arrested. There’s no way the Queen will reject him, because Lance...is the real Prince Léon,” Shiro said.

 

“Yeah, he really is the perfect fit.”

 

“No, I mean... Remember when Allura asked Lance about how he escaped the castle when it fell under siege? He said there was a boy that helped him escape?”

 

“Yes! It was a brilliant story-”

 

“It’s more than a story, Hunk. It’s true. I was that boy,” Shiro confessed. “There’s no way anyone but the real Prince would know about that.”

 

“Wait, so. That means Lance has found his family!” Hunk beamed, turning to hug Shiro but stopping as the next words fell on his tongue. “But you...”

 

“Will walk out of his life forever.”

 

“But-”

 

“Look, we are going through with the plan as if nothing has changed,” Shiro said with a slight edge to his voice, but they both knew he was only trying to mask his true feelings.

 

“I know, but Shiro-”

 

“Princes don’t marry kitchen boys, okay?”

 

Hunk’s eyebrows furrowed, disappointment written all over his face as he poked a finger into Shiro’s chest.

 

“You have to tell him.”

 

“Tell me what?”

 

A voice from above pulled the two men’s attention away from their previous conversation. Immediately, Shiro felt the air abandon his lungs at the sight of Lance at the top of the steps, dressed in an all blue suit, glittering in the pale light streaming down from the window behind him, outlining his figure with a brilliant and ethereal glow. The white gloves on his hands traced the lithe stretch of his fingers, breaking the deep blue like the moon in an empty sky. And his eyes lit up with excitement as he looked around the room, anxious and eager like the day he’d joined their group with the hope of finding his family. Now here he was, shining brighter than any star, looking more like an angel than a prince, and Shiro wondered what he’d done to end up in Heaven.

 

“H-How beautiful- er, hand- handsome, you look,” he stuttered out when Hunk elbowed him to respond. Shiro ran up the steps to meet Lance as he descended, holding his arm out expectantly.

 

“Oh. Thank you,” the brunet smiled shyly, curling his hand around the arm extended towards him. “And Shiro?”

 

“Yes?”

 

“You can call me beautiful, it’s alright,” he winked, and the older man playfully rolled his eyes as he willed his cheeks to stop blushing.

  
  


-

  
  


The music swelled as they stepped down into the ballroom, bright colors flashing in front of their eyes as couples moved and swayed around them. Lance was reminded of his training with Shiro, how prepared he was to dance in front of all these people, and how much he really wanted to do it with Shiro like they had that day in the park. One final moment together before saying their goodbyes.

 

He glanced back at Hunk and Allura, the two already caught up in dancing to the upbeat waltz playing. It was the perfect moment to ask Shiro to dance with him, and he set his free hand on the man’s arm to grab his attention.

 

“Shiro-” he started, before being lurched forward into a hurried pace.

 

“Look! There’s the Queen.” Shiro pointed towards the back of the room to a singular throne, seated in front of a large red curtain on a short raised platform overlooking the ballroom. “Why don’t you wait at the bottom of the steps while I talk to her, is that okay?”

 

The man’s eyes looked confident, like nothing could stand in his way from reuniting Lance with his grandmother, and it made Lance’s heart soar. Shiro and Hunk had done so much to help him, to bring him home and discover who he truly was. There was no way to fully repay them, no amount of money or official titles could amount to the joy of giving Lance the life he never knew he was missing.

 

But there was still something in the back of his mind, some small ache that was gnawing at his heart every time he thought about parting from his new friends. Especially Shiro. They’d grown so close, and as soon as the Queen accepted him back into her life, Lance knew he’d probably never see Shiro again. That thought alone worried him more than the Queen’s rejection.

 

“Um, Shiro?” he asked, grasping the man’s hand to stop him just as he was about to approach the Queen.

 

“Yes?”

 

“Look... We’ve been through so much together in such a short amount of time. You’ve taught me more about myself than I ever knew possible. And I just wanted to tell you that...”

 

His voice caught in his throat, unable to say the words his brain finally supplied to him. Feelings he only just realized the name for.

 

“I...”

 

“What is it?” Shiro asked, eyes completely focused on him, holding a strange glint that Lance could only perceive as worry, or maybe...hope?

 

In that small moment as their eyes met, Lance thought back to the beginning, when they bickered constantly, barely able to stand each other. He thought of how far they’d come to get where they were, and how all of it would be thrown away should he confess what he was feeling to Shiro on those steps, mere feet from what he’d been searching for his whole life.

 

“Th-Thank you. For everything.”

 

“You’re welcome,” Shiro smiled, squeezing Lance’s hand in his own. “Don’t be nervous, we’ve got nothing to lose and everything to win.”

 

Lance nodded as his lips twitched up sadly, deciding against the ache he felt inside to release Shiro, leaving him to fulfill the final step in their plan.

  
  


-

  
  


Shiro made his way across the platform, slowly strolling over next to the throne and crouching beside it to not catch the eye of the guard keeping watch on the other side.

 

“Good evening, Your Majesty. I am-”

 

“Whoever you are, I don’t want to hear it.”

 

“What?” Shiro said, taken aback by the woman’s attitude. Now he knew where Lance got it from. “But, Your Highness, I haven’t even-”

 

“Let me guess,” the Queen said, face forward as to appear unamused by the sudden disturbance. “You’ve come to tell me that you’ve brought some young man that you’ve crafted into the perfect prince that you want me to review and claim as my own, thus giving you all the reward money.”

 

“What? No, I- I mean, I did bring- But he’s not, what I’m trying to say is-”

 

“Young man, I am old and tired. I’ve gone through hundreds, if not thousands of young men, all claiming to be my grandson, but no matter how much he’s been fashioned to look, act, or sound like him, in the end it never is.”

 

“This time it is! I promise,” Shiro practically begged. He wasn’t going to give up, not when he knew the real Prince was mere feet away, ready to be reconnected with his only living family left. 

 

“I have given up at this point, and I do not wish to be bothered by such matters anymore. So please, take the boy you have and let me live out the rest of my lonely life in peace.”

 

The Queen brought her cane in front of her and stood, walking away from Shiro and her throne to retreat behind the curtain. But Shiro ran up before her, stopping her from pulling back the heavy fabric by blocking the opening with his body.

 

“Please, if Your Highness will just listen! My name is Takashi Shirogane and I-”

 

“Shirogane... I’ve heard of you,” the woman said, scorn manifesting in her voice “You’re that con man that was holding auditions to find a Prince Léon look-alike.”

 

“I-It’s not what you think!”

 

“I told you, I’ve had enough! How much pain will you inflict on an old woman for money?”

 

“I-”

 

“I suggest you leave before I have you escorted out,” she threatened, stepping around Shiro to walk through the curtain. “Do not let me see your face again.”

 

And with that, she was out of his sight, lost behind the curtain Shiro didn’t dare cross through. His shoulders sagged with disappointment, trying to figure out what he would say to Lance to break the news. He sighed as he turned around, not expecting to come face to face with the Prince himself, looking hurt and angry, and he quickly realized why.

 

“You used me.”

 

“Lance, wait. You don’t understand-” Shiro tried to explain, but Lance cut him off before he could.

 

“Oh, I understand plenty. What, was I just a quick buck to you?”

 

“Lance, no, I- It might have started out that way, but everything’s changed now. You really are the Prince!”

  
"You used me! You knew full well that all I wanted to do was find my family and you took advantage of that! You lied to me, and I actually believed you!” Lance said, tears pricking at the corner of his eyes. “And not only that I- I... UGH!”

 

The brunet turned around suddenly to walk off the stage, and Shiro felt his heart shatter in that very instant. He had to fix this, to make Lance understand.

  
“Lance, please!” He grabbed for the boy’s waist, turning him around and holding their hands out between them. “When you talked about what you remembered, about that boy in the castle? That was m-”

 

“I don’t want to hear anything about whatever memories you led me to believe in. I don’t want to hear anything from you ever again! Just- Stay away from me!”

 

“Lance, wait!”

 

_ Slap! _

 

The sting on his cheek caused his grip around Lance’s arm to loosen, letting the younger man escape through the crowd of dancers as he became reorientated. Tumbling down the steps of the front stage, he tried to follow after, but a new song started up and his path was blocked, Lance disappearing through a crowd of a thousand bodies all swirling across the dance floor.

  
  


-

  
  


Lance felt the burning tears streaming down his face before he even knew where he was going. He just wanted to get out, get away from Shiro and the party that only reminded him of what he now knew he would never have. From the very beginning it was all a lie, some ruse to pawn him off for money. They didn’t care whether or not he really found his family, they didn’t care about him at all. And how stupid Lance was to believe in all of it. To think that Hunk was his friend. To think that maybe Shiro actually...

 

No. It didn’t matter. Whatever feelings Lance thought he had for the man vanished as soon as his gloved palm connected with Shiro’s cheek.

 

He pushed past strangers in the hall, wandering to and from the ballroom. All of them happy and carefree, completely ignorant to how the world was crashing down around him as he just tried to find an area free of socialization.

 

Finally, his feet brought him to a short, dimly lit hallway with a single room at the end, nearly hidden from sight and completely bare of any partygoers. He let out a sigh of relief as he walked to the door and pulled it open.

 

As soon as the door was shut, he turned around and rested his head against it, letting the sobs he’d been holding back flow through him while more tears clouded his vision. Everything had become too much all at once, and he just needed a moment to himself to release his frustrations.

 

Or, at least, he thought he was alone.

 

“Young man?”

 

Lance gasped at the sound of a voice behind him, spinning around to look at the owner sitting at the vanity only a few feet away, when his watery eyes grew wide.

 

“Y-Your majesty,” he stuttered, nervous all over again and slightly embarrassed at meeting the Queen in his current state. “I’m so sorry. I didn’t realize you were- I just needed to- I- I’ll go.”

 

“Wait, just a moment,” she said calmly. “Come. Sit down.”

 

Lance wiped at his eyes, trying to appear as less of a mess than he felt as he walked over and sat at the other end of the bench where the Queen was seated.

 

“Now,” she started again, “tell me. What’s wrong?”

 

“You probably wouldn’t be interested,” Lance smiled anxiously.

 

“Try me.”

 

“I... was lied to. By someone I deeply cared about. He knew how important finding my family was to me, but all he ever cared about was money. I should have known better than to trust him, I just... Ah, it doesn’t matter.”

 

“So, you’re here trying to find your family?” the Queen asked. “And you think that I’m it?”

 

“I- I don’t know! I thought if I could talk to you, I’d finally figure out who I am. But he went and ruined everything,” Lance spat. “I’m so sorry you had to deal with this mess, Your Highness. I promise, I never meant to hurt you in any way.”

 

“Son, the ache your friend caused me tonight could never compare to the pain I felt when I lost my Léon. Or how I’ve felt for years now, being forced to go through so many young actors, all pretending to be him for the sake of fame and fortune. But I’m far too old to continue searching, and all I want to do is move on.”

 

“I understand.”

 

“Then, if you’ll excuse me,” the woman said.

 

With her walking cane in hand, she crossed in front of Lance on the way out, a familiar scent wafting to his nose as she made her leave.

 

“Coconut?” he asked, a faint memory bursting forth in his mind.

 

The Queen turned back, looking to Lance a few feet from the door.

 

“Yes. Medicated lotion I wear for my dry skin.”

 

“I remember,” he smiled faintly. “My brother Luis dared me to taste it, so I drank half the bottle and ended up getting sick on Mother’s brand new rug.”

 

He pulled on the chain of his necklace, hidden beneath his suit and tie, and brought the small pendant into his hand to help hold onto the memory.

 

“What?”

 

The word was soft, and Lance nearly missed it, but looking over to the woman suddenly inching closer he decided to continue his rekindling memory.

 

“You...You brought me to bed before you left for your trip back home and told me not to get up until my fever went down, despite my objections to come with you. And then you gave me this necklace,” he held the small gold chain out for her to see. “You told me that if I wore this, you’d always be with me, even when you were away... When you went to... Paris.”

 

The pieces finally came together in Lance’s mind, the memories he’d been having all connecting to the woman who was now sitting back down beside him, staring with tears filling her eyes as she finally saw who was in front of her.

 

“Léon? My Léon...”

 

Her gloved hands reached out to touch his face, and he smiled fondly as she took in his features, eyes just like his mother’s, nose an exact copy of his father’s. Her arms were around him within a second, cane clattering to the ground, forgotten. He hugged the small woman —  _ his grandmother _ — close to him, taking in the scent that only brought more memories flooding into his head. New tears flowed from his eyes, only these were happy tears, ones that didn’t burn, but warmed his cheeks as they fell.

 

He’d found his home, his family. Even if the two of them were the only ones left, he knew where he came from, and they were together again at last.

 

“Léon... Léon, my darling boy.”

 

“I’m here, Grandmother. It’s me,” Lance cried into her shoulder.

 

Neither wanted to let go, to pull away for fear that it was all a dream.

 

It wasn’t until the door burst open that they parted, staring up a very distraught looking Shiro poking his head in.

 

“Lance? Lance! Please, just hear me out, I- Oh,” he said, stopping a foot inside, taking in the sight before him. “Please forgive the intrusion, Your Grace. I see that you’ve found each other.”

 

“We have,” the Queen said, standing up to face Shiro. “I suppose you’ll be wanting your reward, then?”

 

“That...won’t be necessary,” Shiro said.

 

“Why not? It’s what this whole ordeal was about, isn’t it?”

 

Shiro’s eyebrows drew together, as if he was confused by her question.

 

“I’m just glad you two are reunited,” he said simply. He bowed respectfully, then turned, ready to walk out of the small room.

 

“May I ask why?” the Queen called after him, causing him to glance back through the doorway. “You’ve come all this way to reunite us. You’ve given us our entire worlds, yet you ask for nothing in return? Surely there must be something that you want?”

 

Shiro was quiet a moment, as if figuring out what he truly wanted from the woman.

 

“I guess there is one thing,” he finally said, voice small. He looked to Lance, gaze wistful as the soft lamp light reflected in his grey eyes. “But unfortunately, it is nothing that you can give.”

 

He gave them both a sad smile, and shut the door behind him with a soft click.

 

“Shiro,” Lance heard tumble from his own lips, but it was too faint to reach the man he suddenly was all too aware he’d just lost forever.

 

His eyes welled with tears again, regretting that his last words to the man had been to  _ stay away _ from him, when really he wanted the exact opposite. He wanted Shiro, wanted to be with him and laugh with him and dance and argue and for Shiro’s arms to wrap around his smaller frame and never let go as long as they lived. And he’d just let him walk out of his life without a word.

 

“Well, go after him.”

 

“What?” Lance tore his tearful gaze away from the door and looked at the Queen, less of a sovereign and more of a grandmother, the way her eyes peered into Lance and read what his heart truly longed for.

 

“You want to, don’t you?” she asked.

 

“But I finally found you, I- I can’t just-”

 

“You’ll always have a home here, but I know right now your heart has made a home somewhere else,” she smiled. “Now, go.”

 

“...Yes, ma’am. Thank you.”

 

He raised to meet her and pressed a kiss to her cheek as he stepped around her, breaking into a run once he hit the hallway, pushing past people and silently praying he wasn’t too late.

  
  


-

  
  


“Shiro? Shiro, wait! T-Takashi!”

 

A cab was waiting at the edge of the sidewalk, and Shiro, who had turned back at hearing Lance call his name, was standing beside it, door open and waiting for him to crawl inside.

 

“Lance? What are you-”

 

“Why didn’t you take the money?” Lance panted as he stopped a few inches away from the older man.

 

“What?”

 

“You went through with this whole thing just to get paid, and at the very end you decide you don’t want it. I want to know why.”

 

“Lance...”

 

“Just help me understand, Shiro.”

 

The man looked back at the cab nervously, either worried about the impatient driver or wanting to avoid his question, Lance wasn’t sure.

 

“It doesn’t really matter.”

 

So, avoiding, then.

 

“Oh, it definitely matters.”

 

Shiro sighed, raking his hands through his hair, eyes searching the ground for an answer as a sad smile appeared on his features.

 

“We had  _ everything  _ to win, you know? And I thought we had nothing to lose, but... I was wrong. I hadn’t realized that the only thing- the  _ most important _ thing I’d lose,” he paused, letting his eyes raise to meet Lance’s, “would be you.”

 

“What do you mean by that?” Lance asked, but he already knew the feelings that connected the two of them, drawing them together even when they themselves were trying to pull apart. He just needed to hear it. Needed those words to be spoken to make it real.

 

“Lance, I-” The driver honked, stopping whatever words were forming on Shiro’s tongue and forcing them down as he started to step back. “I gotta go.”

 

“Shiro-”

 

“I don’t have time for this.”

 

He pushed the cab door wider and stepped towards it, but Lance grabbed at his arm, stopping him from getting inside.

 

“Shiro, wait!”

 

“I gotta go, Lance!”

 

“Just tell me what you mean, Takashi!”

 

“I love you, okay?!” Shiro yelled, wrenching his arm free of Lance’s hold as he twisted back around.

 

Lance’s breath caught in his throat, and he watched as Shiro’s eyes widened at his own sudden confession, taking a step back when he realized how close he’d gotten.

 

“I love you,” he repeated quietly. “But I- I can’t-”

 

Lance didn’t give him time to finish. His hands crumpled the collar of the man’s suit, bringing him down quickly with a hard crash of their lips. He could feel the surprise in Shiro’s body melt as his hands slowly travelled up to grasp Lance’s face.

 

Neither paid attention to the faint music drifting from the party inside, instead pressing their bodies closely together as everything outside came to a pause; the people in their strange outfits, the girls selling flowers, the men painting on sidewalks. Everything was still, the world around as breathless as the two of them, mouths sliding together soundlessly under the night sky.

 

“Don’t go,” Lance gasped against Shiro’s lips, puffs of fog dwindling in the air between them.

 

Shiro’s hand brushed through Lance’s hair, holding the back of his head gently as their eyes met.

 

“I have to. You’re home now. This is where you belong.”

 

“No, this is where I’m  _ from _ . Where I belong is here, with you.” He placed his hand over Shiro’s heart and pressed another chaste kiss to his lips, emphasizing the claim. “Wherever you choose to go, that’s where I’m meant to be.”

 

“But what about-”

 

“I’m always welcome back,” Lance smiled, watching the reflection of the palace sparkle in the man’s grey eyes. “And so are you, if you’d like.”

 

Shiro breathed a laugh and gently tugged at the ends of Lance’s hair.

 

“I don’t know if palace life is really for me,” he admitted. “But then again, I never imagined I’d fall in love with a bratty prince from an orphanage either.”

 

Lance huffed at Shiro’s teasing, smile so wide that his cheeks started to ache.

 

“Wherever you choose to go...” he repeated, wrapping his arms around Shiro’s neck.

 

The cab driver honked again, but Shiro paid no mind, instead shutting the door behind him with his foot and shooing the car away without ever taking his eyes off Lance.

 

“Well, I’ve always wanted to see the ocean,” Shiro said, pulling the Prince in close by the waist.

 

“The ocean, huh?”

 

“Yeah, I hear the weather is great this time of year.”

 

Lance breathed a laugh, his and Shiro’s noses brushing past each other idly.

 

“Then,” he whispered, his lips curling into a smirk as his hand snaked down to entwine around Shiro’s, “let’s go.”

 

Without warning, Lance yanked Shiro sideways, holding tight to his hand as he dragged the surprised man down the sidewalk. Their laughter carried down the street as he they ran together towards the nearest train station, the castle and it’s bright lights left behind in their wake.

  
  


-

  
  


_ Dear Grandmother, _

 

_ Wish us luck! Shiro wants to see the world and he’s pulling me along with him (not that I mind). Right now, we’re staying at a secluded little house a few yards from the beach. He’s always wanted to see the ocean, you know. _

 

_ It’s so calm and breathtaking out here. It reminds me of when we used to take trips to the beach together. Luis would get so jealous that his princely duties got in the way of him tagging along. But I was always happy to just spend time with you. _

 

_ I miss you! I’ll try to send a letter from everywhere we visit. And don’t worry, we’ll be together in Paris again soon. _

 

_ I should go, Shiro is practically dragging me out the door. He wants to get down to the beach before everyone else and see the sunrise over the ocean. Who knew he could be so romantic, huh? _

 

_ Goodbye for now. _

 

_ Much love, _

_ Your Léon _

  
  


-

  
  


“Come on,  _ come on _ !”

 

Lance set down his pen, letter finished and waiting on the small desk to be sent out. Shiro was tugging on his arm like a child, and when he finally stood up, the older man’s face broke into a smile.

 

“Are you ready?” Shiro asked, drawing Lance into an embrace.

 

“Yes,” said Lance. “I just wanted to get that done or else I’d forget.”

 

“Of course. We’ll drop it off at the post office later. But for now let’s go, it’s almost sunrise.”

 

“Alright, alright,” Lance smiled, and let Shiro lead him out of the small house.

 

They made their way down to the beach, the sun barely beginning to peek over the horizon as they stopped just short of the water’s edge. The morning air nipped at their exposed skin as the gentle breeze blew through their hair. Shiro pulled Lance into him and held him tight as they both stared out past the waves.

 

As Lance sighed against Shiro’s chest, a feeling of calm contentment washed over him like the crashing waves in his ear. “I love you,” he whispered, and felt the rumble in Shiro’s chest more than heard the words that were repeated back to him.

 

He glanced up, and warmth spread through him when he discovered Shiro already staring down at him, grey eyes taking him in under the dim light from the pinkening sky. His hands trailed up to Shiro’s neck, holding it loosely as he leaned up to slide their lips together.

 

Another breeze whipped past them, causing Lance to shiver slightly, but strong arms covered his shoulders protectively, radiating heat into him as Shiro kissed back.

 

By the time their lips finally parted, the sun had risen over the horizon, casting a yellow glow over the beach where they stood. The waves glittered with each ripple, the sand beneath them shone like warm honey, and Shiro’s silver eyes, as Lance looked up into them, glistened a deep golden hue. Safe, inviting, and open to any and all the love Lance had to give and reflecting it right back. And, with Shiro’s arms wrapped perfectly around him, their journey together far from ended, Lance knew he’d finally found his home.

**Author's Note:**

> Hello! I really hope you liked this fic. I put so much love and care into it and it would mean a whole lot to me if you smiled at least once while reading, to leave me a comment telling me which part that was. Comments really help fic writers out, and if you leave comments we’re more likely to release more content! So please please tell me what you liked! 💙 Thank you again!


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